Rayburn Electric CEO Kicks Off New Substack Video Series

Llewellyn King has launched a new utility interview series on Substack and YouTube with Rayburn Electric Cooperative CEO David Naylor as the first guest. The interview spotlights how Texas utilities are handling rapid demand growth, storm recovery costs and the push to serve data centers.

Why it matters: - Rayburn Electric Cooperative sits inside a broader utility challenge facing nearly 3,000 U.S. utilities. - The company is dealing with rising electricity demand, limited options and weather-driven disruptions. - The interview highlights how utilities are balancing reliability, grid investment and customer costs.

What happened: - Llewellyn King, veteran energy journalist and founder of The Energy Daily, chose Rayburn Electric Cooperative as the first interview in a new Substack video series. - King also included the conversation in his Active Voice interview series on YouTube. - Rayburn Electric Cooperative CEO David Naylor was the featured guest. - The interview is available on Substack under Llewellyn King's File and on the YouTube channel Active Voice with Llewellyn King.

The details: - Rayburn Electric Cooperative is based in Rockwall, Texas. - The cooperative is named for Sam Rayburn, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. - Rayburn is the bulk power supplier for four distribution cooperatives northeast of Dallas. - The utility is growing electricity demand at about 8% a year. - King said Rayburn is worth watching because it sits at the center of Texas utility pressures. - King said Rayburn was a clear leader in securitizing debt tied to Winter Storm Uri in 2021, when gas prices soared. - Rayburn had to burn gas during the storm regardless of price. - Naylor said on the broadcast that keeping customers' lights and heaters on cost the modest-sized utility nearly $1 billion. - Naylor discussed how Rayburn is accommodating data centers. - Naylor also discussed training linemen and women, who King described as first responders in the electric power sector. - Naylor explained how Rayburn works with larger investor-owned utilities. - Naylor described Rayburn's coordination with ERCOT, the Texas system operator.

Between the lines: - King is positioning the series around utilities that show the pressure points of the electrified economy. - Rayburn's role as a bulk power supplier makes it a useful case study for grid strain and cost recovery. - The focus on data centers signals another source of demand growth that utilities are already trying to absorb. - Winter Storm Uri remains a defining event for Texas utilities because it forced emergency fuel use and left long-term financial damage.

What's next: - King said the Rayburn interview is the starting point for additional utility video interviews on Substack. - King is also using the Active Voice platform on YouTube for the series. - He invited interview opportunities for the new Substack and YouTube video program through direct contact.

The bottom line: - Rayburn Electric's story is being used as a window into how U.S. utilities are managing rising demand, storm risk and the cost of keeping power flowing.